Welterweight stars are taking center stage
WBO welterweight champion Terrence Crawford recently signed a rich multi-year deal to stay with Top Rank, which earlier announced an extension of its exclusive network contract with ESPN.
Premier Boxing Champions, meanwhile, signed multi-fight agreements with Showtime and Fox, while Barclays Center trumpeted an exclusive East Coast alliance with PBC, assuring a certain number of fights over a certain number of years.
Judging from the above events, the business of boxing is good these days, and the welterweight division is ready to cash in. Top Rank, headed by Bob Arum, locked up Crawford, while PBC is ready to showcase its welter- weight talent starting Saturday night at Barclays Center, where former champions Danny Garcia of Philadelphia and Shawn “Showtime” Porter of Akron, Ohio, meet for the coveted WBC belt at 147 pounds.
Garcia (34-1, 20 KOs) is looking to regain the title he lost in a close decision to Keith Thurman last year. Porter (280-2-1, 17 KOs) is a former IBF welterweight champ. In a division that also includes current IBF champion Errol Spence Jr., Crawford, Manny Pacquiao and eventually Mikey Garcia, there is plenty of money to be made with the right matchups.
“The welterweight division has always been a deep division,” Danny Garcia said. “You had Ray Leonard, [Felix] Trinidad, [Pernell] Whitaker, [Os- car] De La Hoya, and now I’m blessed to be able to fight the best of this era. I’ve got to dig deep. I’m in good physical condition. I feel strong. I just have to go in there and execute.”
Showtime will televise what is the 30th boxing card since Barclays Center opened in 2012. The alliance with PBC guarantees a minimum of eight fights annually at Barclays Center. A bevy of PBC fighters will be on hand for Saturday’s fight, including Thurman, Spence, Adrien Broner, Andre Berto and WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder.
It’s logical the winner of Garcia-Porter will face either PBC fighters, Thurman or Spence, in a unification bout in the fall.
“Obviously I want to win this belt and dictate what I do next,” Porter said. “But this is a sport where no matter how much you feel you’re in control, there’s always something slowing you up or making you go faster than you want to go. First and foremost is to get the win Saturday and have fun doing it.”
It’s a terrific matchup on paper. Porter likes to apply constant pressure and force his opponent to fight backing up or along the ropes. He’s a volume puncher who will unleash a constant blur of power blows to the body and head. Garcia, meanwhile, is an excellent counter-puncher who carries power in both hands.
“I know I’m the better allaround fighter,” Garcia said. “I can just do more in the ring than Shawn Porter, period. I’m going to prove it on Saturday. I’m a seasoned champion, and this is a chance to regain something that was mine. This is one of the moments where I have to just go out there and prove myself.”
Other notable bouts on the card include Yordenis Ugas facing Cesar Barrionuevo in a WBC welterweight eliminator; Adam Kownacki challenging former heavyweight champion Charles Martin in a 10-round bout; and Amanda Serrano taking on Yamila Esther Reynoso for the vacant WBO women’s junior welterweight title. It would be a record sixth division title for Serrano, who lives in Brooklyn.
“This means everything,” Serrano said. “It’s an honor to get the opportunity to fight for a sixth division world title and be in the same sentence as boxers like Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao. It means a lot for my team. It’s like a dream come true.”
Kownacki (17-0, 14 KOs) can get into the heavyweight contender conversation with a win over Martin (25-1-1, 23 KOs), who has won twice since losing the IBF title to Anthony Joshua in April 2016.
Prediction: Garcia by unanimous decision. Serrano and Kownacki by late knockouts.